The former parliamentary secretary of Bradford West MP George Galloway and a Metropolitan Police officer have appeared in court charged with misconduct-related offences.

Aisha Ali-Khan, 33, of Keighley, West Yorkshire, who worked with the Respect MP, faces accusations of encouraging misconduct in a public office.

She is also accused of encouraging the obtaining of personal data without consent on or about August 24 2012.

Detective Inspector Afiz Khan, 46, known as Alfie, is based within the Metropolitan Police's specialist operations unit, and is suspended.

He has been charged with two counts of misconduct in a public office and four counts of data protection offences between May and September last year.

The pair appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court and Deputy Senior District Judge Emma Arbuthnot sent the case to Southwark Crown Court.

Their next hearing is on August 28. Unconditional bail was renewed.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman has said the arrests came as a result of an investigation by the directorate of professional standards into a complaint from a member of the public centred around the actions of the officer.

One charge of data protection offences in relation to Mr Khan is connected to allegations made by the complainant. The other charges are as a result of information that has been identified as part of the investigation, the spokesman added.

It has been reported that the pair are married but this is unconfirmed.